


I Can't Believe It's Not Melatonin!

by sa7vrn



Series: Hivemind One Shots that I throw into The Wordvoid [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Fluff, Late at Night, M/M, Mind Manipulation, also hive swears all the time, if you need beauty sleep you need beauty sleep, it's not gross though, its in his blood, think again, you think i'm NOT gonna craft emphive out of my own mind palace?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:21:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28687815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sa7vrn/pseuds/sa7vrn
Summary: Hivemind accidentally wakes up his temporary roommate, Emperor, after 4am. The king needs his beauty sleep, jeez!
Relationships: Emperor/Hivemind (Splatoon)
Series: Hivemind One Shots that I throw into The Wordvoid [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2102748
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	I Can't Believe It's Not Melatonin!

**Author's Note:**

> you ever think about the kind of concentration a mind controlling villain needs to not think of something stupid mid-power use? it's like the opposite problem people with telepathy have. like, what good is telepathy if all you hear from someone is song lyrics from only ONE part of a song over and over?
> 
> oh, also, there's a genus of pipefish called Cosmocampus! they're cute! look 'em up sometime.

Some parts of Inkopolis seemed to never fully fall asleep, especially not during a comfortable, lightly breezy night like this. It's not uncommon to see the faint bioluminescent features of citizens as they look towards the view that a Flounder Heights apartment balcony grants, as the rest of the city rests. Of course, most tenants living there were jellyfish until recently; as octolings started moving into the city, many homes were renovated, accomodating larger lifeforms than that of the jellies.

It didn't come to anyone's surprise that Hivemind took the opportunity to snag a living space at Flounder Heights himself, given the neighbors and sights, but more than a few popular folks were taken aback when they heard that Emperor was headed to the same complex to stay with someone for a while. The complexes itself weren't grandiose by any stretch of the imagination...and he's tall. No one knew who he would be staying with, but they'd have to be in one of the variant-accessibility abodes.

Oddly enough, though, not many people felt like prying.

It was around 4am on a normal working-hours Tuesday that Hivemind thought to take a peek outside to stargaze. He liked this time of night. It was dark, so of course the cosmos above would be easy to see, but perhaps more importantly, as of lately: it was quieter. Any odd party would usually die down before this hour, and not many other jellyfish were out there with him. Though, younger jellies who would be off work that morning often saw Hive out there, and with a kind wave, they'd greet each other.

There were multiple times in the past where Hivemind would  _ more  _ than nod off as he sat on the balcony during calm nights. All it took was clear air, a place to rest his arms and head, and some nights, he'd be out like a light. If he was really trying to keep himself in the right frame of thinking, he'd put some slow music on nearby (using a dinky novelty stereo system he got as a gift a long time ago; the grainy speaker quality is just right for what he wants). This combination of all the right things, everything being as close to perfect as it could be, was all he felt like he needed lately. As long as he was still trying to get his footing after getting rid of the whole "my guidance opens the future" mantra he had himself locked to, anyway.

Even still, all the things he liked during the wee hours of the morning could change, and he was reminded of that when he felt a small drop of water hit his nose. Then another, on his hand. With that, Hivemind perked up and looked to the sky above him, only to see thick cloud cover. He figured that was enough of a warning to pack up his shitty radio and get himself inside.

The raindrops began picked up in frequency, and fast. Hive started to scramble to get everything together and keep his antenna from getting too wet, and as soon as he had everything in his arms, he opened the sliding door to his apartment and worked his way inside--

**-CRACK.-**

Agh, he shut the radio in the door! His antenna chirped in response to his own startle, and as he fumbled to get every wire safely indoors, he shoved the door closed, probably with too much force. Hivemind set his favorite stereo on the kitchen counter nearby, looking it over for any broken pieces or anything else that seemed wrong. Or...worse.  _ It's not like it was in very good condition after all this time, anyway, but I still have it, so…  _

Right then, Hivemind heard footsteps down the short hallway. The light in the kitchen switched on.

_ Well, this is it! It's over. The king has awoken. And here I am, still awake at who-knows-when. I am caught like a pipefish in the headlights of-- _

"...Wha's happening, are y'alright...?"

Emperor's glare locked onto the vague shape of Hivemind's head, and the latter could feel a more realistic fear pierce through his inner rambling. The original monarch of Turf War pushed his bangs to the side, only a little closer to where they normally were fixed, and blinked to get the fog from his eyes. Once that was sorted, he clearly saw his temporary roommate's face. He noticed that Hivemind was trying not to move a muscle, as evident from his eyebrows and open mouth twitching ever-so-slightly. Even in a half-waking stupor, he thought it was cute. During any other time of day, he noticed how Hive glanced over at him, quite often. As soon as Emperor would try to lock eyes, nerves seem to get the better of his relatively-newfound friend, and the focus snaps like a twig.

"Yyyes," Hive slowly replied. "Yes! Yes, it's fine. Sorry I woke you--eh, uh...please forgive me, Emperor." Cod, he felt like an idiot for fumbling so much. What was getting into him lately?

"Your face is wet," was all Emperor said, before he turned to stumble towards the couch in the adjacent room. He stopped to breathe in, and collapsed onto the cushions sloppily, ending the whole performance with a long sigh. All Hive did was look on. He couldn't tell if he was being dramatic, or was really  _ that _ tired. Inkopolis had a lot of weird characters in it, though. Who knew for sure at this point?

After Mr. Waterproof-Tech Genius, himself, got his equipment situated and his clothes and face dried off, he sat next to Emperor, trying to do so slowly. He didn't like admitting it to most people, but he cared a lot about resting properly, despite never doing it himself. It was probably Hive's innate interest in keeping a healthy mind, but he hated seeing anyone sleep-deprived. He slowly moved his hand to adjust Emperor's tentacles so that he could see his face, but strong hands grabbed hold of his, and he hoisted himself to be more upright--which, coincidentally, was right next to Hivemind's left shoulder. Fancy that.

"E-Emperor? Wh--"

"Hivemind. You...do the...right?" The king could hardly muster anything audible at this point.

"Pardon, Emperor? I didn't hear you."

"The control. You take that."

_...Huh? What is he asking about that for?  _ "I-in a manner of speaking, yes. What's the sudden interest?"

"Do that."

_ What. _

"It's like sleeping, is it not?" Emperor asked, sudden alertness in his tone after all he got was stunned silence. He raised his head to meet Hivemind's shaded eyes. "I need my beauty sleep. You'd understand, looking at a face like this."

**_What?_ **

"I-I admit, it's not that bad," Hive said with a nervous chuckle, which only earned him a sincere glare from his roommate. "...Even still, you want me to take control right now? I  _ can, _ but I find it hard to believe you'd be willing."

"I can pardon the last time. After all, a king realizes mistakes, even if they are not his own."

That...remark struck a nerve in Hivemind. Emperor was right, but was he really intent on giving this another shot? After everything he did, this royal pain-in-the-ass for so many other people still helped and stuck around Hive. Why? Why give this any other chances? Suddenly the weight on his shoulder felt much heavier.

"...Okay." Satisfied with the acceptance, Emperor situated himself to get more comfortable, resting his head against the other inkling's upper arm. "But, Emperor, listen. This...it's--"

"Just do it. King's orders...how's that…"

Well, here we go, then. Hivemind slowly closed his eyes, and heard his antenna start up, a faint whirr and current in the air. This is way more intimate than anything he'd done previously, but…

[  **Emperor, listen. You need to sleep. It's important: it keeps your image healthy as much as your mind. Get comfortable, breathe in and out, and drift out.** ]

He felt the body next to him relax. Hive didn't want to look at his face.

[  **Sleep. Sweet dreams, love.** ]

...Love?  _ What? Hold on, what? He didn't hear that, right? Wait! I need to do that again! _

His concentration broke somewhere along that train of thought, the soft whirring in the air stopping before he came to his own senses. Hivemind kept himself still, the irony of the situation dawning on him far before the sun would rise that morning. He knew Emperor would be asleep--he'd wake up just fine in the morning, everything from here on is just a natural sleep cycle, but there's no way he heard that last bit. There's no way.

Emperor's body shifted closer to Hivemind's, and while the latter attempted to keep himself steady, he felt small nudges along the left half of his body while the person next to him eased into everything in...a snuggle.

_ Oh. "Headlights of love" was the end of that phrase. Huh. _


End file.
